The Brothers: The Female of the Species (BBC1 29 Sep 1976, Robin Chadwick)

In The Female of the Species Jennifer is heading off to Canada to visit her daughter and is upset that Ted is not finding the time to go with her (they had arranged the holiday some time before but Ted now thinks there are too many business distractions for him to take time off) although he does find time to have lunch and dinner with April whilst Paul is away in Amsterdam. Meanwhile Brian and Ann need to come to a proper arrangement about Carol who runs away from home to Mary’s.

Lots of angst and talk between Ann and Brian mean this is quite the dull episode, Debbie Farrington is excellent as Carol, very confident and it’s also interesting how David and Jane seem to be growing a bit closer whilst Brian is otherwise occupied. Gwen Riley is also seeking external stimulus now that the house has fallen through and has been working at a local playgroup.

Hazell: Hazell and the Suffolk Ghost (ITV 31 May 1979, with Meg Davies)

In Hazell and the Suffolk Ghost our intrepid hero pays a visit to the seaside when an accountant, Peter Harlow, calls him in over a cottage he has been left in a will. He has no idea why he has been left the cottage but since he has taken over ownership more than a few strange things have been happening.

Hazell stays at the cottage for a few days and manages to find no small amount of comfort when Harlow’s wife Stephanie turns up (Harlow himself is in New York). Although there is clearly something spooky going on it’s definitely man made and it doesn’t take Hazell too long to work it out.

The episode was a rare outing outside of London for the series, it was filmed in the East Anglian village of Walberswick and surrounds. Although all the interiors were filmed in studio of coure.